News
Local

Skills and service on student jpb site

Members of the Construction Specialist High Skills Major class, taught by Bud Halpin (left), at Saugeen District Secondary School enjoyed an open house/barbecue and certificate ceremony Jan. 25 at the Southampton Cemetery where their semester one project was a storage shed/workshop. Frances Learment/Shoreline Beacon

Building a storage shed at the Southampton Cemetery gave 18 local students construction experience, school credits, site certifications, first aid training and apprenticeship hours.

The High Skills Major Construction Class at Saugeen District Secondary School celebrated the end of the build and semester Jan. 25 with an open house, certificate ceremony and barbecue with Town of Saugeen Shores staff, nine community partners and proud parents.

Instructor Bud Halpin said his initial concerns about the “fairly complicated” project were resolved when he realized the students were “really serious” about getting into the construction and building trades.

“That made it easy – there is no shortage of talent in these students in a time when a lot of people feel that most kids just sit inside and play video games, these kids were out here work int the rain and cold -minus17 was our coldest day -and they all showed up because they knew that to get the job done, that was what was required,” a very proud Halpin said to the guests invited to inspect the handiwork and enjoy a barbecue.

He said they could have not done the project without their nine community partners – many of them self-employed – who offered their expertise and advise on the roof, siding, soffits and facia, concrete slab, walls and safety at the job site.

Halpin said he and the students are grateful for their help.

“I never want to be the shop teacher that's teaching you just the way I did it when I was a young man in the 1980's...” Halpin said adding he has to rely on the local tradesmen to show them best practices and the latest innovations.

Selina Fletcher was one of two females students in the class, and said there was no job site discrimination.

“We were all equal and I learned a lot,” Fletcher said, reflecting on her job as project administrator.

“I was in charge of getting the cranes here and getting the workers to the site – it really benefited me because I want to be a paramedic, but it is good to have trades/constructions skills in my back pocket.”

The project partners received a job site t-shirt and each student received a certificate and

The Construction Class at SDSS has helped the Town with the Fairy Lake band shell, a train station building for the Saugeen Rail Trail Association, accessible beach boardwalks, and an outdoor classroom at Port Elgin Saugeen Central School.